Fabulous news! and #4 out of 52 blessings! prior authorization!

fabulous! i got a call Friday evening from the hospital. to schedule my Thyrogen induced whole body scan! whoohooo! yes i got approved like greased lightening fast! yay for good health insurance! next month i get to go to the hospital 4 days in a row! and after it is over i will get results immediately! with my fave nuclear medicine Dr. ! This testing has quite the process but it is way better than 6 weeks of hell before and countless weeks after! so whoohooo for me! i am very very excited!

you know, i think i am calling this my blessing for the week! so #4 in the 52 weeks of blessings project!
this week i am thankful for health insurance, and prior authorization for this test. AND included in this Blessing i am thankful for modern medicine! for the testing procedures available! for the special medications that will make it easier this time. and for the phenomenal Nuclear medicine Dr. i get to consult with! and i am so thankful it won't be a fight to get this done! whoohoo!

so you wanna know -
my schedule?

Monday the 18-consult, consent, and receive 1 of 2 Thyrogen shots in my ARSE! you know i'm dying to say A$$! i can never resist!

Tuesday the 19-2 of 2 shots in my ARSE. and go have a pregnancy test at the lab. STAT!

Wednesday the 20th- receive scan dose of radioactive iodine -I 131- 3 millicuries. It's a pill. I swallow it and leave.

Friday the 22nd- scan, and consult with the nuclear medicine Dr. about my results! and a thyroglobulin test.

whoohoo!

and then I'm done for a good long time.




definitions - borrowed from here
Thyrogen® A form of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) that is made in the laboratory. It is used to test for remaining or recurring cancer cells in patients who have been treated for thyroid cancer. Also called thyrotropin alfa.

thyroglobulin The form that thyroid hormone takes when stored in the cells of the thyroid. If the thyroid has been removed, thyroglobulin should not show up on a blood test. Doctors measure thyroglobulin level in blood to detect thyroid cancer cells that remain in the body after treatment.

Thyroid A gland located beneath the voice box (larynx) that produces thyroid hormone. The thyroid helps regulate growth and metabolism.

thyroid cancer Cancer that forms in the thyroid gland (an organ at the base of the throat that makes hormones that help control heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and weight). Four main types of thyroid cancer are papillary, follicular, medullary, and anaplastic thyroid cancer. The four types are based on how the cancer cells look under a microscope.

thyroid gland A gland located beneath the voice box (larynx) that produces thyroid hormone. The thyroid helps regulate growth and metabolism.

thyroid hormone A hormone that affects heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and weight. Thyroid hormone is made by the thyroid gland and can also be made in the laboratory.

thyroid-stimulating hormone TSH. A hormone produced by the pituitary gland. TSH stimulates the release of thyroid hormone from thyroglobulin. It also stimulates the growth of thyroid follicular cells. An abnormal TSH level may mean that the thyroid hormonal regulation system is out of control, usually as a result of a benign condition (hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism). Also called TSH.

radioactive iodine A radioactive form of iodine, often used for imaging tests or as a treatment for thyroid cancer and certain other cancers. For imaging tests, the patient takes a small dose of radioactive iodine that collects in thyroid cells and certain kinds of tumors and can be detected by a scanner. For treatment of thyroid cancer, the patient takes a large dose of radioactive iodine, which kills thyroid cells. Radioactive iodine is also used in internal radiation therapy for prostate cancer, intraocular (eye) melanoma and carcinoid tumors. The radioactive iodine is given by infusion or sealed in seeds, which are placed in or near the tumor to kill cancer cells.

Millicurie- definition here.
a scan dose is 3 millicuries, and a common ablation dose is 100 millicuries.